Do you find yourself endlessly scrolling through social media feeds? If you’re between the ages of 14 and 65, there’s a good chance you were scrolling right before you started reading this blog post! But, eventually, we stop scrolling. Whether we want a closer look or actually engage with the content, we’re most likely stopping because of the image we saw. A great visual leaves us wanting more and inspires our own work.

If you’re anxious about posting photos to your social media channels, here’s the good news: The basics are easy to learn and remember. And you should definitely learn them, because utilizing quality photos is key to creating engaging content, whether for your business or personal profiles. Fear not — we have tips to help you get started.

10 Photography Tips For Taking Quality Social Media Photos

Use a good quality camera.

Whether you’re using a cell phone camera or DSLR, make sure it has the capacity to take high-quality photos. Newer iPhones and Androids have the specs to take desirable photos, but if you’re still rocking that Moto RAZR from 2004, we’ve got mad respect for you… but it might be time for a new phone.

Hold the phone steady.

Another easy tip. Unless you’re trying to capture a photo of the Blair Witch, there’s no reason for excessive camera shake. Your photo will always come out blurry (see below). But this is avoidable! Invest in an inexpensive tripod to help, which will also be useful in low-light situations.

Let there be light.

Speaking of light, find a light source and use it. If you’re in a poorly lit area and all you have is your cell phone, it’s going to be tough to capture a properly exposed shot. This is where that aforementioned tripod comes in handy — but always move to better lighting if you can.

Use the Rule of Thirds to help compose your shot.

Pro-tip: Justify your subject to the left or right of your photo to make it more visually appealing. This is a good rule to follow, but remember: All photography rules are meant to be broken. Speaking of which…

Symmetry is awesome, so use it!

For some scientific reason, humans are naturally drawn to the beauty of symmetry, and you can find it almost anywhere — in a cool building, out in nature or even in a mirror! Taking an engaging photo is all about finding balance, and that’s exactly what symmetry offers.

Perspective is everything.

If a subject looks boring to you, move yourself around. By simply shifting positioning and shooting angles, you can turn the most mundane photo into something striking and original. If you don’t look like the guy below, you’re doing it wrong.

Focus on your subject.

No, seriously. It sounds obvious, but always make sure your camera is in focus. And if your cell phone camera has a portrait mode function, try it out! This mode gives a nice, artificial bokeh effect to certain shots that can sometimes rival a DSLR. But be wary – it’s far from perfect.

If you’re using a cell phone camera, avoid the zoom.

Whenever you zoom in on a subject using your phone’s camera, high-quality pictures become a lot harder to take. Zooming means dealing with pixelated images, more camera shake, lack of detail, etc. It’s best to just use the zooming device you were born with to get in closer (yes, I’m talking about your legs).

When in doubt, keep it simple.

If your photo has too much going on, it can confuse the viewer and downplay the importance of your subject. For example, there’s always a lot happening at speaking or networking events. Instead of getting a boring shot of the whole room, try focusing more on individual interactions to breathe some life into otherwise stale photos. See a few examples below from an event Candor recently covered.

Ask other people what they think about your photos.

You might not always like what you hear, but getting constructive feedback is an important part of getting better.

Are you ready to start taking photos? These tips will put you on the right path, but the professionals at Candor are always around to offer more advice, cover events or even deliver trainings. Send us an email if you have something on your mind! We’d love to help.

Joshua is a committed social media marketer who understands the foundation of any good social media plan rests in research and analytics. His specialties include social media marketing, content management and social media analytics.